Woodforde’s Wherry Amber Ale
My First Extract Beer Kit
My first introduction to homebrewing was an all-grain Punk IPA kit (see brew day and everything else) which involves starting with the raw ingredients of barley and hops to create a wort (unfermented beer) for brewing.
Extract kits bypass the first stage and save lots of time by providing a condensed wort that can be quickly prepared for fermentation. You trade off any personal innovation in the recipe design in favour of time-saving and the need for less equipment.
After a bit of research, Woodforde’s Wherry was an excellent place to start, it came highly recommended by fellow homebrewers thereby avoiding the criticisms targeted towards cheaper, lesser-known brands that can lack in body and depth of flavour. Many other brands require a further addition of sugar, which is not required by this kit.
The Woodforde’s Wherry also came in a full starter-kit format which provided all the equipment you’d need to get started. This included a 23 Litre Fermentation Bucket, a large spoon, 2 Airlocks, a hydrometer, no-rinse sanitiser and a syphon.
The final two components of the kit were two 1 Litre tins of the condensed Liquid Malt Extract (LME) and two sachets of Yeast
According to the Manufacturer
Woodforde’s Wherry is a well-respected amber ale from the UK, brewed by Woodforde’s Brewery in Norfolk. It has a deep copper colour and a malty flavour with hints of fruit and spice, balanced by a moderate hop bitterness. It has won several awards, including a gold medal at the 2015 International Beer Challenge, and is regarded by many as one of the best examples of an English amber ale.
Preparation (40 Minutes)
- Clean and Sanitise all equipment.
- Stand the Extract in Hot water for 5 minutes. The condensed wort is naturally highly viscous so this will help it to liquify.
- Boil 5 Litres of Water (I used bottled water for this, my local tap water is prone to a high chemical/chlorine content).
- Pour the extract into the bucket.
5. Add 3.5 Litres of Boiling Water and mix.
6. Top up the Fermenter to 23 Litres with cold water, mixing thoroughly (Remember, there are around 2 Litres of LME already in the bucket, only a further 17.5 Litres is needed).
7. Take a hydrometer reading at this point (optional) for the Original Gravity (OG) 1.036.
8. Sprinkle both Yeast Sachets onto the beer.
9. Cover and add the airlock.
Fermentation (7–10 Days)
A consistent temperature of 18–20C is ideal for a simple and complete fermentation. A final gravity of around 1.014 is expected.
10. Check for a consistent gravity of 1.014 or below (Final Gravity 1.010, 3.4% ABV)
Carbonation
23 litres was rather more beer than I am used to, hence when it came to carbonation, I went 3 ways…
Option 1 — Bottle Carbonation
Syphon c.10 litres of Wherry to the Bottling Bucket and add 25g Sugar. Mix the sugar with a small amount of boiled water cooled to room temperature, this sugar wash will mix more easily with the wort.
Mixing the sugar in a bucket ahead of transfer to bottles ensures that the sugar is evenly distributed across the whole batch.
Option 2 — Maturing Keg (5L Barrel)
Syphon 5 litres of Wherry to the Maturing Keg and add 12g Sugar. Mix the sugar with a small amount of boiled water cooled to room temperature, this sugar wash will mix more easily with the wort. Keep the keg in a warm place for around 2 weeks to carbonate.
Option 3 - Racking to Secondary
Moving 5L to a sanitised demi-john for temporary storage for a few weeks. This follows the normal rules for secondary and the vessel should remain in a cool, dark place until ready to carbonate.
The Wherry yeast was remarkably flocculant, leaving a very clear wort during syphoning and a thick layer of sediment (trub) at the bottom of the fermentation bucket.
Evaluation
I thoroughly enjoyed this ale. The result was copper coloured, rich and sweet malt-forward drink with a refreshing amount of bitterness to deliver a wonderful result.
Using an extract kit simplifies the whole process, I certainly did not miss the washing up that follows a typical all-grain brew day, and when I am time-poor this is the perfect alternative. I fully expect to try out other kits in the future.
A kit also de-risks some of the brewing process, the wort has been prepared to the required standard before you begin, and there is simply less to go wrong and more likelihood of a successful, tasty result using a kit.
Not all kits are created equal, however, and while researching what to choose there is a widely varying quality of kits out there, but there are also quite a few innovative folks finding ways to make the cheapest kits still taste good.
I found the Wherry a wonderful ale and would even purchase this kit again, but on the whole, I still prefer the personal touches that are possible with all-grain brewing, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s always fun.
10 out of 10 for the Woodforde’s Wherry though.
Step By Step
The detailed step-by-step instructions described in this article are also available on my YouTube channel below. This includes the rather disastrous ‘how not to carbonate using a maturing keg’ and the ‘how not to pour using a maturing keg.’ I mean, who reads instructions anyway, trial and error is always the way…
This is the way.
Thank You for Reading, please drop me a line and let me know your thoughts. Happy Homebrewing
Cheers Everyone
Rob
